Pulse May 2018 - Page 41

wrong ones. Instead of pushing through the block, you take
your foot off the gas.
P: What is your favorite way to power pause when
you can’t find that creative flow?
S: I take a moment to give thanks. Creativity is a gift, not a
commodity. It must be honored, appreciated and valued.
Otherwise, the flow of creativity dries up. Then I find ways to
disengage my mind. Play is great for that. I keep a yo-yo and a
paddle ball near my desk. When I have an extended break, I
reach for my guitar or drum. The idea, for me, is to savor this
pause in my busy workday. Deep slow breaths help me to relax.
At least once a day, I take a few minutes to lie on the floor.
The position I assume, called repose, involves stretching my
arms and legs as open as I can make them. I have found that
repose wrings all the stress and tension from my body, which
is both healthy and very productive. Creativity flows best when
our bodies and minds are most at ease.
P: What is the relationship between creativity and
inspiration?
S: Inspiration is a profoundly beautiful and enlivening experience
that happens when everything comes together perfectly so that
you can harness your creative power. The experience has three
components: passion, presence and possibility. Passion drives
the creative process. It captures deeply-felt emotions like love and
joy, which make creativity so infinitely rewarding. Presence is the
sensation of being completely alive, aware and engaged. The
moment of inspiration feels fresh, as if you are waking up for the
first time. Possibility is the feeling that any idea at all is accessible
to you—here and now. When you are inspired, there is nowhere
your imagination cannot take you.
You can create when you are not feeling inspired, but virtually
anyone can tell the difference. The experience of inspiration gets
captured in whatever you create so that others can share in it. The
true talent of artists is their ability to convey their own inspiration
through their creative works. When you come in contact with a
great work of art, you can feel the inspiration radiating from it. n
“This life you are
leading is a blank
canvas, and you have
the ability to create
a masterpiece. ”
CLICK HERE for dr. Shamas’ advice on
channeling your inner creative—even if
you don’t think of yourself as a
creative type.
May 2018
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PULSE
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